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Why am I afraid to eat popcorn on a plane?
Have you read the book “Happiness Hormones: How to Train Your Brain to Produce Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphin and Oxytocin”? On page 180, the author, Loretta Graziano Breuning, describes the situation. How she became wary of eating popcorn on a plane. Let’s use this example to look at one of the postulates of cognitive therapy. Look!
Loretta Graziano Breuning took popcorn with her on board the plane for a long time. For what? To distract yourself and, sort of, do some accessible physical exercise. Chewing. But one day, during a flight, a piece of her tooth broke off. There is no way to see a dentist. Unpleasant emotions appeared and cortisol (stress hormone) was released. This formed strong neural connections. This changed the state of the synapse immediately.
Strong emotions, according to the book, immediately form synaptic connections. Then, with their influence, clients come to psychologists. After all, they interfere with a harmonious life. Let’s go back to the example and break it down into its component parts.
Loretta Graziano Breuning eats popcorn. A piece of a tooth breaks off — this is an event.
A thought arises in my head (this is hypothetical, since the woman does not describe her thinking at that moment): “Don’t see a doctor!” Stimulates cortisol release and strong emotions.
